``I honour her competitive spirit but feel that Usha should not have come back. She has toiled hard and has already given her all for the country. Age is definitely a factor and I do not feel that she will regain her best form. We should have put in an effort to unearth talented youngsters who would take her place,'' the Flying Sikh, who was in the city in connection with a national symposium on Indian sports, said today.

Milkha Singh, whose decades-old record in the 400 m still stands, also blamed Usha's former coach O M Nambiar and the authorities for Usha's failure to make it really big at the international level.

``Right from her early days, Usha had proved that she was an athlete of international standard. Her coach Nambiar and the authorities should have ensured that she participated in international competitions in Europe. Instead, they made her run at the Asian level, with an eye on medals. If she had got proper exposure at the beginning of her career, Usha would have fetched us an Olympic medal. I had talked to Nambiar about this much earlier. In fact, I have even quarrelled with him. However, the credit for unearthing Usha should go solely to Nambiar,'' said Milkha Singh.

Launching a frontal attack on Sports Authority of India, the Flying Sikh said: ``Crores of rupees have been spent by SAI for development of sports in the country. However, it is yet to produce even a single athlete of repute. Only four Indians -- Gurcharan Singh Randhawa, Sriram Singh, P T Usha and myself -- have entered the final of an Olympic athletic event. Each was an individual effort. Why do we need such an institution?''

Athletes, sportsmen and coaches of today lacked discipline and the heart for hard work, Milkha said. ``Till the nineties, we used to get 10 to 12 medals in athletic events in Asian games. Now, we return empty-handed. In my time, we ran on bare feet. There was no track-suit or coaches. Now, everyone has such facilities and better food too. The will to excel is however missing. You cannot expect much from players and coaches who share a drink.''

``I used to train really hard. Even had to be carried away from the track after practice. I went under 46 seconds in the 400 metres and it is only after nearly 40 years that an athlete, Paramjit Singh, emulated my feat. That is the state of sports in the country. Officials rule the sports arena in the country.''

It would be good to get the services of a foreign coach, Milkha Singh said. He should be given at least five years to produce results, the legendary athlete added.